Cash register



W. J. PASINSKI CASH REGISTER Jan. 7, 1941.

Filed Sept. '50,

1937 2 Sheets-Sheet l ATTO RN EYS Jan. 7, 1941. w. J. PASINSKI 7 CASH REGISTER Filed Sept. 30, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Her li asinsin ATTORNEYS Patented Jan. 7, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFiCE CASH REGISTER Appiication September 30, 1937, Serial No. 166,485

2 Claims.

This invention relates to cash registers and more particularly to the key coupling mechanism thereof.

The invention is an improvement applicable to 5 the standard Burroughs cash register of the type illustrated by my patent, No. 2,070,060, dated February 9, 1937. In the machine therein disclosed, it is possible to preset the machine by depressing the preset key after which the amount keys may be latched to the key coupler whereby depression of any one key will cause full depression of all keys latched to the coupler. In this prior machine it is necessary to depress the amount keys in a certain predetermined order; otherwise, previously depressed keys will be released from the key coupler. That is, if it is desired to set up, for instance, the amount of $1.25 on the keyboard in preset condition, it is necessary to first depress the hundreds or dollars key, then the tens key and finally the cents key. If such order of key depression is not followed, in that a key of a higher order is depressed after the depression of a key of a lower order, the lower order key would be released automatically from preset to normal position. In such a case, if the error of not following the proper sequence of key depression was not noted an erroneous entry followed and if it was noted before an incorrect amount was entered in the machine, it would i be imperative for the operator to clear the keyboard or restore it to normal condition, and to make another attempt to set up the amount on the keyboard. It has been found that this necessary order of key depression required a certain amount of practice by the operator and permitted the erroneous entry of amounts.

The present invention purposes to eliminate this possibility of error and is of such a nature as to permit amount keys of the cash register to be partially depressed to preset position in any order or sequence which the operator chances to follow. In other words, with this improved construction, the keys of lower orders may be initially depressed to preset position and thereafter the keys of .3 higher orders depressed to preset position without affecting in any way the previously depressed keys of the lower orders, and vice versa. Because a key may be depressed in any sequence without aifecting in any way the keys of other orders already in preset position, the operator is relieved of keeping in mind any required sequence of key depression and is permitted to operate a machine while prevented from making erroneous entries through misoperation of the machine with rapidity and ease.

In addition to the foregoing, the improved construction also embodies means for preventing a further misoperation of the machine, i. e., partial depression of one of the amount keys an insufficient distance to be latched in preset position followed by full depression of another amount key.

Therefore, it is an object of this invention to provide an improved mechanism by which the amount'keys may be latched in preset position.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved cash register in which the amount keys may be depressed to preset position in any order or sequence desired.

A further object is to provide an improved cash register having a mechanism for preventing certain misoperations of the machine such as partial depression of one of the amount keys insufiiciently to become fully latched in preset position followed by full depression of another one of the amount keys.

Other and further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent hereinafter.

In the drawings,

Figure l is a right side sectional elevation of the essential elements of the improved cash register illustrating the parts in normal positions.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of my improved cash register illustrating the preset key, key coupler and an amount key of each denomination showing the machine in preset condition with the one dollar (831.) key latched to the key coupler.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged side elevation of the key coupling mechanism of the machine showing the machine in preset condition and one amount key partially depressed.

The illustrated cash register is known as a key operated cash register and the mechanism is mounted. on and carried by right and left side plates 9 which are maintained in spaced relation by tubular members l0 and the various shafts of the cash register mechanism. The mechanism comprises a plurality of depressible key levers ii of the requisite denomination and number in each denomination, but for clarity of description only a single key lever of each denomination or order has been illustrated in the drawings. The key levers l l are journaled at their rearward ends on a cross shaft l2 secured to the side plates 9 and each lever H has an upwardly extending arm i3 which is adapted to engage a second shaft it supported at each end thereof by full stroke levers l5. The full stroke levers l5 are journaled on the cross shaft 12 adjacent each end thereof,

and the ends of the shaft I4 extend through slots IS in the side plates 9, this arrangement serving to limit the rocking movement of the shaft I4 and levers I5 which constitute a universal bail.

The full stroke levers I5 are provided at their upper ends with sectors I8 engaged by pawls I9 which insure a full stroke being made each time levers I5 are rocked by the keys II. The upper end of each key lever arm I3 is provided with a differential cam slot (Fig. 1) which differentially actuates the register R and the indicating mechanism I which are shown and described in detail in my aforesaid patent.

The shaft I4 also supports for bodily movement therewith a key coupler 2| extending longitudinally of the machine across the entire number of key levers, and having a downwardly depending coupling lip 2| adapted to engage the key levers as will be hereinafter explained. Coupler 2| is freely pivoted on shaft M by means of integral arms 22 through which shaft I4 extends and is moved clockwise by a spring 23. Each arm 22 is formed with an upwardly extending finger 24 which engage studs 25 and limit pivotal movement of the coupler 2I and serve to hold the key coupler 2| in inoperative or noncoupling position, When an amount key is depressed, it engages shaft I4 and rocks the shaft forward which causes arm 24 to move away from stud 25 and permits the coupler to drop into operative position. The construction thus far described with the exception of the contour of lip 2I is the same as that described in my prior Patents Nos. 2,070,059 and 2,070,060 to which reference is made for details of construction.

In order to couple the key levers to the key coupler, each upwardly directed arm I3 of the key levers I I carries a latch 26 pivoted thereto at 21 and urged counterclockwise by a spring 28 tensioned between a rearwardly directed hooked finger 29 of the latch 2'6 and a stud 30 on the key lever arm I3. counterclockwise movement of the latch 28 is limited, by the engagement of a down wardly extending latch finger 3| with another stud 32 also carried by the key lever arm I3, the latch 28 being in normal position when the finger SI contacts the stud 32. The latch 26 is also provided with an upwardly directed nose 33 at its upper portion which is adapted to frictionally engage the depending lip 2I of the key coupler 2! upon the partial depression of an amount key.

The machine is provided with a preset mechanism similar to that illustrated and described in my aforesaid Patent No. 2,070,060. This mechanism comprises a preset key 34 which may be depressed prior to the depression of the amount keys to place the machine in preset condition. The key 36 is pivoted to a crank and rocks the latter in a clockwise direction about a pivot 35 upon depression of the preset key 34. This causes a rearwardly extending arm 38 of the crank 35 to engage a stud 39 carried by the forward arm 40 of the left full stroke lever I5 and rock the full stroke lever counterclockwise about shaft I2 until the pawl I9 engages the first notch of the sector I8. As the full stroke lever I5 is rocked counterclockwise, the shaft I4 is moved forwardly and the finger 2d of the coupler 2I is moved out of engagement with the limiting stud 25 so as to permit the key coupler 2i to rock clockwise, under the urge of springs 23, into active or key-coupling position, wherein the lip 21 of the key coupler 2! projects into the path of movement of the noses 33 of the latches 25 of the undepressed keys. It will be understood, of course, that when a single amount key is depressed without first presetting the machine, the key coupler drops behind the nose 33 of the depressed key. If an amount involving more than one digit is to be entered, the machine is put in preset condition by depression of the preset key. With the machine in. preset condition any one or ones of the amount keys may be partially depressed to preset position and latched to the key coupler.

Because the key coupler 2| is free to pivot about the shaft I4 when in preset position, if the force exerted against the coupler is sufficient to overcome the tension of the springs 23, the tension of each latch spring 28 is made relatively less than that of the key coupler spring 23. Thus, when an amount key is depressed with the machine in preset condition and the nose 33 of the latch is moved forwardly against the coupler lip 2W, latch spring 28 will yield and latch 26 will rock clockwise about its pivot without raising the coupler 2| and releasing previously depressed keys. Accordingly, upon partial depression of an amount key, the latch nose 33 will slide under the coupler lip 2 I from the rearward to the forward side thereof where it is latched so as to hold the amount key in partially depressed or preset position as shown in Fig. 2.

When the operator has set up or indexed the keyboard for the amount to be entered by partially depressing all the requisite keys necessary to make up the amount, they will all be latched to the key coupler and any one of the keys may be fully depressed to carry all the partially depressed keys down the full stroke to index and enter the entire amount in the register and indicating mechanisms, as is clearly described in my aforesaid patent.

In other words, because of the fact that each latch 26 of each key lever is yieldable and does not cause the key coupler 2| to move upwardly, it is not necessary that any special sequence of key depression be followed. That is, when a key of any order is partially depressed to preset position, the latch 26 of a key lever arm yields and not the key coupler 2|, so that the keys already latched or coupled in preset position remain socured in that position regardless of movements of key levers in the higher or lower orders. Thus, the improved construction relieves the operator from the necessity of keeping in mind any special or sequential order of key depression and permits key depression of keys in any sequence.

Another advantage of my improved key latching mechanism is that the coupler 2| may be a unitary structure and the contour of the lip 2I is not varied throughout its entire length, which from the manufacturing viewpoint is a distinct advantage because of the ease and cheapness of manufacture and also because such a coupler may be made standard for various types of machines where the orders may comprise varying numbers of digit keys.

With its mechanisms thus far described it may still be possible to misoperate the machine to cause an erroneous entry. That is, it is possible to partially depress one key insufficiently to cause it to be latched to the key coupler and then fully depress another key. Such an operation would simulate a proper operation but would, in fact, be a misoperation and cause an erroneous entry if only those keys sufficiently depressed to latching position were fully depressed. Such a misoperation can occur when the operator uses several fingers to depress the keys and fails to depress one key sufficiently, so that the amount as finally indexed on the machine is incorrect. This condition is shown in Fig. 2, where the dollars key lever is illustrated in latched position forward of the coupler lip, the $0.20 key of the tens order in unlatched and partially depressed position but insufficiently depressed to latch with the coupler lip 2|, and the $0.05 key of the cents order in normal unlatched position. Fig. 3 shows the tens key in its Fig. 2 position, that is, it has been insufiiciently depressed and is not latched in preset position. To prevent such a misoperation the key lever arms 13 are provided with lugs 4! which extend upwardly adjacent the noses 33 of the latch 26 but not to the same height. These lugs" ll are of sufficient height to engage the coupler lip Zi so as to rock the key coupler 2| slightly upward or counterclockwise when the keys are partially but insufficiently depressed with the machine in preset position, this slight rocking of the coupler being insufficient, however, to disengage the previously latched keys in other orders.

As the coupler 2! is rocked slightly by the lugs 4|, an arm 42 of each coupler arm 22 is lowered to a position in rear of square studs 43 projecting inwardly from the side plates 9 so that further rocking movement of any other key, the coupler, or the universal bail is prevented by the engagement: of arms 42 with the studs 43 and a misoperation of the machine is thereby prevented.

Although the foregoing description has set forth one form of the improved preset and key coupling mechanism, it will be understood that changes and modifications may be resorted to Without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A key operated cash register having a plurality of item-key levers depressible from a normal to a fully depressed condition, a key coupler to which said key levers are adapted to be latched upon a predetermined partial depression thereof, means rockably supporting said coupler and shiftable angularly of its rock axis to a full key lever depression condition, stop means adapted to be engaged by said coupler in one rocked condition thereof for blocking angular shift movement of said coupler to a full key lever depression condition, and means for latching each of said key 1evers to said coupler which includes a projection on said key lever adapted upon depression of each key lever to an extent suificient to latch it to said coupler to successively engage said coupler and rock it into said one rocked condition and finally to move into latching engagement with said coupler and permit said coupler to rock back to a position wherein it will not engage said stop means, and a non-coupler-moving latch element carried by said key lever and adapted to move into latching engagement with said coupler as said key levers are depressed into coupler latching condition, said latch element being adapted to retain the latched key lever in latched condition upon subsequent depression of another key lever and the attendant rocking of said coupler to its said one rocked condition by said key lever projection.

2. A key operated cash register of the class described having a plurality of movable item-key levers, a key coupler, means rockably supporting said coupler for shift movement angularly of its rock movement, stop means preventing said shift movement of said coupler when the latter is in a certain rocked condition, means on said key levers by which the key levers are latched to said coupler upon a predetermined partial depression of the former and, as said key levers are depressed into latched condition, rock said coupler .to and from its shift stop condition, the arrangement being such that depression of a key lever to an extent less than that required to render said latch means effective .to latch said key lever to said coupler, sets said coupler in said shift stop condition, and additional latch means between said key levers and said coupler independently latching each said key lever to said coupler without movement of the latter.

WALTER J. PASINSKI. 

